This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine component for high temperature use. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine ceramic panel and an attachment configuration for securing the ceramic panel to an adjoining structure.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. During operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases are communicated through the turbine section, which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to power the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads.
Gas turbine engines produce extremely hot gases. Engines may be made more efficient by increasing the temperatures at which an engine operates. Gas temperatures within the engine are limited so as to not exceed the capabilities of the engine component materials.
Exotic metallic alloys cannot withstand some of the extreme temperatures within the engine. To this end, ceramic-based materials, such as ceramic matrix composites (CMC), are used within the gas turbine engine gas flow path to enable higher temperatures within the gas turbine engine and improve engine operating efficiency. Typically, ceramic panels are secured to adjacent metallic structures. It is difficult to attach the dissimilar materials of the ceramic panels and the metallic support structure due to the different rates of thermal expansion. Ceramic panels are relatively low strength compared to metals, such that typical attachment configurations cannot be used. Typical attachment configurations may use expensively formed features or may still provide weakened areas in the ceramic that may crack.